Wheel Genius: Road work planned this week

• City contractors Monday will begin a complete reconstruction of the westbound lanes of Bob Billings Parkway from Kasold to Crestline Drive. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction with delays expected. The project is expected to be completed by Aug. 12.

• The Utilities Department will close 17th Street between Kentucky Tennessee streets Monday for a service installation. No detours will be posted but alternate routes through the area are available.

• City crews continue making repairs to concrete curbs and street pavement throughout downtown. The project will extend from Sixth to North Park streets and from Vermont to New Hampshire streets. Traffic will generally be maintained in both directions, but there will be parking limitations and single-lane effects. The work is expected to be completed by mid-August.

• Crews are working on a project to add a center turn lane on Sixth Street between Folks Road and Monterey Way.

During the first phase of the project, the inside lanes of both the eastbound and westbound direction will be closed in front of Hy-Vee as crews remove the raised median.

The second phase began last week with plans to widen the eastbound lanes on Sixth Street. The project is expected to last three to five weeks in total.

• Kasold Drive between Clinton Parkway and 31st Street has both directions of traffic traveling along the southbound lanes of Kasold. Each direction is narrowed to one lane as crews rebuild the roadway. Access from side streets is right turn only. The project is expected to last for several months.

• A portion of the Kansas River levee trail will be closed for the construction of Bowersock Mills & Power Co.’s new plant on the north bank of the Kansas River.

A detour on the trail will take users from the trail to city streets crossing at the controlled intersection of Second and Locust streets. Signs will be posted marking the detour route to direct users throughout the detour. The city urges drivers and trail users to use caution when traveling through the intersection. The detour will run for the duration of the project, which is projected to last 20 months.

• City maintenance crews are working on a microsurfacing program. Roads throughout the city will be repaved and resurfaced. Lane reductions and possible street closures may occur during the process. To find out what streets the city has targeted, visit the city’s website, www.ci.lawrence.ks.us. The project is scheduled for completion in late July.

Douglas County

• Douglas County Road 9 is closed between U.S. Highway 24-40 and Interstate 70. The road will be closed so crews can work on bridge construction. It will remain closed until late spring.

• All lanes of Douglas County Road 458/N. 1000 Road will be closed to traffic between U.S. Highway 59 and E. 1400 Road, which is about 1 mile east of U.S. 59. The road is being closed as part of the construction of the new interchange for U.S. 59 and so that crews can repair the bridge located about one-third mile east of U.S. 59.

Local access for residents living in the area will remain available during the roadway closure. For other traffic, a marked detour will be provided along Douglas County Road 1055/E. 1500 Road and 31st Street. The work will last until mid- to late July.

U.S. Highway 24

• Intermittent lane closures near U.S. Highway 24 and Airport Road are expected while crews work toward the installation of a sanitary sewer collection holding system. The project is scheduled to be completed by August.

U.S. Highway 40

• Construction began Thursday to resurface a 17-mile stretch road just west of the K-4 interchange in Shawnee County to the K-10 interchange in Douglas County. The goal of the project is to improve and preserve the driving condition of the roadway in that area. Delays of 15 minutes are expected during construction, which will run Monday through Saturday during daylight hours. Drivers are encouraged to find alternate routes through the area if possible. The project should be completed by late June.

U.S. Highway 59

• North 200 Road is closed at U.S. Highway 59 for frontage road construction work. The road will be tied to the new frontage road that runs parallel to the new U.S. Highway 59. Work is scheduled to be completed in late 2012.

U.S. Highway 56

• A bridge replacement project is under way just west of the U.S. Highway 75 junction in Osage County. About a 0.5 mile west of the junction, both eastbound and westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 56 will be closed to all but local traffic. A marked detour will take drivers through Burlingame to Osage City and then back to U.S. Highway 7. The project is expected to be finished in mid-June.

Interstate 70

• Kansas Turnpike Authority is reconstructing a 3-mile stretch of highway just east of Lawrence. Traffic will be narrowed to one lane in each direction from mile marker 208 to mile marker 211. Access to the Lawrence Service Area will remain open. Delays are expected during rush hour. The project will be finished by November.

• A bridge replacement project is under way for the 142nd Street bridge spanning the Kansas Turnpike in Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties. The northbound and southbound lanes on 142nd Street will be closed between Kansas Avenue and Riverview Avenue. The stretch of road will remain closed for the duration of the project. As part of the project, daily lane closures could occur on the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-70 and the right shoulder of the road. The project should be complete in late fall.

Interstate 435

• A bridge-painting project at the Johnson Drive interchange is under way. The work will require varying lane closures that will reduce northbound and southbound traffic along I-435 down to one lane at a time. The lane reductions will occur from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday. The ramps will remain open. The project should be completed by mid-July.

• A pavement-repair project will start Monday from 87th Street to Midland Drive and on the Holiday Drive interchange ramps in Johnson County. The work requires various lane closures that reduce traffic in both directions to one lane at times. The reductions occur from 7 p.m. through noon Monday through Friday and from 7 p.m. until 1 p.m. on the weekend. The project should be completed by late October.